Moose’s Flaherty gets weekly honor

The American Hockey League announced today that Manitoba Moose goaltender Wade Flaherty has been named the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending March 20, 2005. In four games, Flaherty stopped 125 of 129 shots as the Moose continued to battle for position in the North Division playoff race.

Flaherty’s week began with a return to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, where he earned Calder Cup Playoff MVP honors for leading the Admirals to a championship last spring. On Tuesday night, Flaherty turned aside 49 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to his former mates, then added 30 more saves in a 5-2 win in Thursday’s rematch. The Moose returned home for a pair of games against Houston, and Flaherty stopped 25 shots in Saturday’s 8-1 victory and posted a 21-save shutout in a 2-0 win on Sunday. He finished the week with a 3-0-1 record, a 0.98 goals-against average and a .969 save percentage.

In recognition of his achievement, Flaherty will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Moose home game.

Flaherty, in his 16th professional season, has a record of 17-8-3 with four shutouts in 31 appearances with the Moose this year. Among his 243 wins and 558 games as a pro, Flaherty shows a mark of 80-55-19 in 166 AHL games with six teams. A native of Terrace, B.C., Flaherty has also played 120 career NHL games since his debut in 1991-92.